Chairman’s Message

Chairman’s Message

Neil SheehanMay 4, 2017

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

The mission of Pacific Historic Parks is to preserve the legacy and heritage of the Greatest Generation for future generations, and we cannot achieve our mission without our many supporters and volunteers. Our founders were volunteers dedicated to ensuring that the sacrifices of so many during the events that changed the course of our nation and the world would never be forgotten. And it is this tradition of volunteerism that ensures the success of all we do today. It is to the volunteers of Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Service in Hawaii and the Pacific that this edition is dedicated.

Hundreds of volunteers help us to preserve and honor the past — high school students cleaning historical objects at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam), active duty military folding flags flown on the USS Arizona Memorial that are sold in our museum store, Pearl Harbor Survivors sharing their stories with visitors from around the world, university students clearing invasive species from Moku Puakala, a largely unmarked cemetery at Kalaupapa National Historical Park.

Volunteers are also directly engaged in our educational and community programs. For example, at Guam’s War in the Pacific National Historical Park and Saipan’s American Memorial Park, Pacific Historic Parks recently offered a series of free, family Art in the Park programs for more than 600 people – programs that relied on the support of dozens of local volunteers who registered participants, organized supplies, talked about PHP’s mission, performed puppet shows, and helped set up and break down each event.

The purpose of this Remembrance issue is to thank and honor our volunteers by focusing on them and their stories. Like most nonprofits, volunteers are the unsung heroes, the backbone of our organization. Inside, you’ll find stories of how volunteers, including our beloved Pearl Harbor Survivors, perpetuate the legacy of World War II and keep history alive by engaging with visitors from all over the world. They directly support our mission by helping students learn about history, and these students in turn give back to their communities and fulfill school requirements through volunteer service learning.

We are truly grateful to each of our volunteers who collectively give thousands of hours of their time to support the important mission of PHP. We thank you for your support and for the greatest gift of all — your precious time.